


to look after you

by rosie (rivalflower)



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: #helpyoodong2020, (eventual) polyamory, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Trainee AU, book reader yubin, bookshop worker handong, it would help if they dealt with feelings ngl, soft ldr?, suayeon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivalflower/pseuds/rosie
Summary: From the not very glamorous first time they met, Siyeon caught Bora's eyes.Meanwhile, Yoohyeon and Handong struggle with feelings, distance and time.
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Kim Yoohyeon, Kim Bora | SuA/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 11
Kudos: 74





	1. i'll never forget this

"But sweetheart, please, you're going to have to work a lot harder to make it."

By now, Siyeon was used to the unexpected. This time, she's sat in a chair with a girl that makes her feel as if she's suffocating every time she attempts to say anything.

What did this mean though? If all that she had just been told was under normal circumstances, then maybe Siyeon would have felt more hopeful. By now she had realised the competition against her and she was determined not to lose. Whether it was this girl's -Bora's- heart or what she originally came here for.

"Sorry, that may have come off a bit harsh.. really, I can try to help."  
Siyeon held her head in her hands, gently rubbing circles at her temple, as if trying to make herself wake up from the almost hypnotising looks Bora was throwing at her. Her eyes were dizzying above her perfect cheekbones and the glitter brushed over her eyelids, seemed as if they also brushed Siyeon's heart.

By this point, the magical girl that was invading her thoughts and emotions had crouched down next to her, careful to avoid Siyeon's outstretched legs on her seat. She tipped her chin, feeling how somehow her short nails were still dipping into her skin.  
"Darling, you should have told me if you felt this uncomfortable, I would've tried to get you away sooner."

With every new name that was used on her, Siyeon could feel herself falling further and further, which was even more worrying. Who knows? Bora will probably end up being another of those girls, the ones who flirt and flirt until the confident gay inside Siyeon somewhere rises up and ruins it, clambering with a lot of effort through the nerves. What's even worse is, the useless lesbian stereotype just fits so painfully well with her. She knows what will happen. She'll lean forward or tell her that she's gay, whichever one she decides to act on first and Bora will say she was joking or "You don't like me in that way do you?"   
Pause. Why is she thinking of kissing Bora anyway? Even though they only met an hour ago, something about her feels new and exciting.

She nods her head, without even knowing what she was replying to at this point. Bora smiled, "That wasn't a yes or no question..."  
Now that Siyeon had calmed from her worry and panic before they brought her here, she thought that it was probably the best time to hug and comfort her. She gently shuffled Siyeon's legs up and sat next to her.  
"Can I hold you? Would that help?"  
If Siyeon was surprised at the request, she didn't show it. She lent against Bora's bare shoulder and her skin was ridiculously soft and stroked against her cheek. Bora wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on the bright blue hair that flowed across Siyeon's head like waves. 

To Siyeon, Bora seemed to smell comfortingly like rosy strawberries. The fake leather on the sofa seemed to grab at her, but Bora's soft shirt falling off her shoulder was warm and cosy. She settled, feeling safe in her new friend's arms, as she listened.

"When I first arrived here, I was terrified. I thought I'd messed up, I thought that my dream since I was a child would be over, but everything in my head was so so much different compared to the reality around me. I'll admit it: emotions got the better of me at times... Of course I'd also messed up in some parts, but I still had hope. They can see past the anxious mistakes and look at what is actually there. Everything turned out fine for me, even if I got rejected from other places. I'd just have to try again."  
Siyeon held onto her tightly. Her voice seemed to be muffled on Bora's arm, but the sincerity was there. "Thank you, I needed that.." 

There was a knock on the door and a voice calling;" Lee Siyeon?" Bora quickly untangled them, with a new embarrassed look in her eye that Siyeon hadn't encountered yet.  
"Yes, I'm here." she called, clearing her throat.  
"You're asked to meet in the practice room at half past." The footsteps leaving signalled that they'd left.  
Bora breathed out in a sigh and caught Siyeon's dark eyes. They had become less panicked thankfully, but the rest of her face had the tell-tale marks of crying dotted across it.  
"Let's get you cleaned up." she said, while rummaging around in a purple backpack for some wipes.

While Siyeon was drinking from a water bottle and the tissues had been discarded around the chair, Bora watched her.  
"What?" She said, in between sips.  
"Nothing..I'm just glad I could tell someone that, even though it's meant to be you I'm looking after."  
"Why did you help me, anyway?" Siyeon asked.  
"I guess I felt that I should be your Princess Charming." Siyeon spluttered while Bora loudly laughed at her own comment.  
Bora pointed at the clock. 3:27.  
"You should go! I'll see you around here soon, I feel like I never leave anyway."  
Siyeon nodded, the reality hitting her as she gathered her bags and stood up.  
"Thank you, Bora. I hope we'll meet again soon."

And with that, Siyeon opened and shut the door, with almost lingering fingers and then she was gone.  
Bora was left in the room by herself. It didn't seem like a coincidence that she'd find her in the same cubicle that Bora had cried in a year before over the exact same thing: an audition. It seemed like fate, soulmates or something that Bora hadn't encountered before and it just made her more curious to this mysterious girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm actually planning to continue this, but I thought I'd see what you all thought first :) Thank you for reading, even though it's shorter than other things I've written (hint) ^-^  
> edited// 12th july


	2. i'll always remember you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Handong reveals her ambitions, Siyeon admits to meeting Bora and they are the supportive friends we all need.

Siyeon had never appreciated her as much as now. Her hands were shaking with excitement but also kept grabbing onto her phone when another crash called from it.  
"Are you sure that you're okay? I can just tell you ove-"  
She got interrupted with an almost yelled: "Siyeon, I swear if you tell me over the phone I'll come over anyway, but then kill you instead of celebrating."  
An excited laugh escaped her mouth and she said in response: "Okay, okay. But hurry... and be careful!"  
Siyeon said her goodbyes and then forced herself to hang up; it wasn't like Handong was that far away. However, she had never seen (or heard) her friend this excited for her. It really wasn't that she wasn't an easily excited person. She was really the opposite of boring and Siyeon was just more grateful that Dongie had listened to everything on her mind for the past year.

When she finally arrived at Siyeon's door, she was dressed in a white shirt and she looked worn out from probably running to the house. She looked as beautiful as always, Siyeon noted. Then, Handong grabbed her hand and she was pulled into the living room.  
"I made it Dongie!! I'm actually going to be a trainee!"  
Handong responded in a yell of happiness and warmly hugged her. Siyeon's ears rang with the noise, but she giggled anyway and wrapped her arms around her friend's neck, repeating a mix of "Thank you," and "I did it," as they stayed together on her sofa.

Then Handong pulled away, but kept holding onto her shoulders. With a sincere tone, she told her: "Listen though. When you're doing all this fancy trainee stuff I need you to promise that you'll still talk to me and even with all your cool new friends, that you'll remember me too." Handong's throat seemed to close with how the volume shrunk at the end of her speech and as Siyeon heard this, she almost began crying.  
"Dongie, please never say anything as sad and ridiculous as that again. I'll never forget you, stupid." Her voice was shaking as she looked at how relieved she was. Handong got pulled back to the sofa and Siyeon's arm wound around her waist, as her few tears were wiped away and they started talking once again, the topics changing constantly, like usual.

"I have been trying to get into a company too, recently."  
"What? You haven't told me this..." Siyeon said, sitting up.  
Handong sighed, before admitting. "I wasn't planning to tell anyone, in case I failed, but here I am, telling you because I've been unsuccessful."

"Keep going. Everything will be okay and work out. I actually met someone at the company a week ago. She was beautiful, but that's off-topic." Handong laughed. With this, Siyeon smiled and carried on rambling: "She told me about how when it wasn't working out for her, she kept trying and trying -something along those lines anyway- and then it was obvious that she managed, because there she was helping me after I got sad in a bathroom cubicle."

After a moment if silence, she looked up to see a confused Handong staring at her.  
"Slow down because that was a whole explosion of words. So, you're telling me this beautiful girl came to your rescue, opened up about her life story and then looked after you? Siyeon, why is it only you who finds the potential girlfriends?"  
She made a mental note that Handong clearly had her priorities and she spluttered. "Dongie, we literally just met."  
She hummed and then teased her with: "Seems a bit.. you know."  
The two started laughing when Siyeon started jokingly fighting her and then Handong ended up tickling in response. 

"I love you."  
"Love you too!"

The two were really close and to most, they would seem like early childhood friends, but they had only met three years before. Something just clicked, even while Dongie struggled with pronunciation and words. Luckily, they ended up with each other a lot and then now, at seventeen, they were closer than ever. They had helped each other in so many different ways and neither wanted the other to change too much anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plot line will hopefully build more in the next few chapters, but i just wanted to introduce their friendship! feedback always appreciated!!  
> edited// july 12th


	3. i'll keep this memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siyeon has her first training session and meets a couple of new friends.

Siyeon was getting frustrated at this point.  
It was only a few days since she had seen Handong but now she really wished they were together again. If you knew the area and the building well, it would probably be easy finding a way in.  
However, the company was grey-walled and had at least three plain black doors dotted around and as Siyeon had never been here, she was struggling. Even the streets nearby all looked the same. It was a very bland place compared to all the exciting colours and sounds of the main street, just a few minutes walk away.  
A lonely crow sat on a lamppost, only moving its head to look in the direction of a few silhouettes passing by. Siyeon rooted through her phone, while hoping that Bora had somehow magically put her number in it. She hadn't.  


"I really wish Bora was here.." She murmured to herself, smiling nervously at the situation. One of the silhouettes stopped, and approached Siyeon from behind, almost startling her. This person had a bucket hat pulled over her head and a few strands of dark hair sticking out. When she spoke, her voice was clear and she joked:  
"Yeah, I could say the same, if we're talking about the same girl that is."  
The girl then made eye contact with her, as she asked: "Need help?"  
Siyeon laughed and nodded her head. "Yes, it's my first day here, actually."

The girl told her to follow her and they went down the side of the building through a hedge walkway.  
"First day? That's exciting. I've been here for three or four years and I see everyone coming and going. Ah, but, hi I'm Yubin!"  
"I'm Siyeon."

The two continued walking around a corner and through a door that said, 'MAIN ENTRANCE' in bright letters. Siyeon shook her head at the idea of her not even trying to look around the back. Yubin noticed and laughed. "Now you've found it out, you won't forget it again."  
After speaking to someone at the reception desk, they found out that they were both heading to the same room, so they enjoyed each other's company as they went.

Loud chattering came from behind the door and Yubin reassured her, when she realised Siyeon had shrunk back behind her. Siyeon gave a half-determined, half-terrified smile as she grabbed the handle and pushed her way in. The room was light from big windows near the ceiling that let sunlight cascade down onto the people inside. One girl seemed to be trying to grab everyone else's attention. "Just in time then," she laughed, turning in the direction of where Yubin was. Yubin was no longer there and had made her escape. She looked down at the floor, embarrassed, hoping that no one heard.

Everyone else started walking forward, into a crowd of fifteen at most, towards the girl with bright red hair, pulled back into two loose ponytails. She began smiling and the room fell silent immediately. Pairs of eyes gazed at her and waited for what she was about to say.

"Morning everyone! Today is a good day, so if we finish in time you can head outside for a break!" She grinned again before continuing: "Today, we're having one of our other dancers come in to help out. She's quite talented herself, but don't tell her I told you that." In response, a few people chuckled around the room and Siyeon realised she was returning the girl's infectious smile. She felt comfortable and welcome, even if she didn't know anyone yet. 

Everything seemed to be fine.

Then the door hesitantly opened, revealing a girl with long, dark hair that fell over her face. She held open the door with her leg, as she bent down, grabbing a bag, before turning to look at everyone.  
"Hello, Minji. I hope I'm on time." She said, coolly addressing the red-haired girl.

Siyeon, however, felt like her heart was going to explode, as she has found her, again. Bora looks around the room, meeting Siyeon's eyes for a brief second. While in a daze, she could have sworn she saw Bora's eyes widen. Moments later, her face was shielded by her arms, while she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. Aware of people watching her, she gave a shy smile to the room. Siyeon had always been self-conscious about her dancing before, but now it was even worse.

Minji and Bora lead stretching exercises, and Siyeon made a mental note of her needing to stretch more often. When she looked around the room, practically everyone seemed to be in a split position. At least she had tried, she told herself, while not even being able to stretch her legs to a 90° angle. This just was not her day.

Her day seemed to go uphill or downhill even more, depending on which way you look at it.  
The positive was that it was Bora. Bora was dancing in front of everyone, showing the dance that they all needed to learn. The way her body moved captured Siyeon's eyes. She was just mesmerising. Her legs kicked out sharply, but also softly and gracefully, depending on the beat and her arms waved gently backwards and forwards around her waist. The black leggings that wrapped her legs showed off how muscular she actually was and her oversized off-white shirt hung loosely over her collarbones. 

With confidence, she leapt forward and messed with someone in the group of people before her and Siyeon didn't think she'd ever felt this jealous. When she waved to the audience, that was where the music died down and Minji started the round of applause.

What _was_ that? Siyeon clapped, smiling at her. She was hopelessly hypnotised once again, but her trance was broken by a knock at the door and Bora now became a little shy at their response. Siyeon recognised Yubin coming through the door and so did Bora, leading to her whispering something in Minji's ear.  
Minji sighed before speaking loudly: "Thank you for showing us the dance! I'll see you soon." And with that, Yubin grabbed Bora's hand and pulled her out of the door.

And now, this is when Siyeon discovers the negative: having to actually learn the dance. The minutes turned into hours and when finished, people left to head outside into the now warm sun.  
"Why did they all pick it up faster than me?" She mumbles to herself, "Actually it could've been: why am I slow at learning things?"  


-

Minji hums and looks up. There's just one girl left now, someone who she hadn't seen before today. She also seemed to keep repeating one part of the dance, near the end of the choreography over and over again.  
She decides to quietly walk over, saying: "Hey, let me help! It's not easy at all, I think it's because this is a group that have practiced here before and know what to expect."  
The girl looked down, almost embarrassed with herself, avoiding the older girl's eye contact. Her faded blue, maybe even dark grey, hair fell over her shoulders.  
"I'm Minji, if you didn't pick up on it." She reaches out an hand for the younger girl to hold.  
"I'm Siyeon." She says, grabbing onto Minji's arm. She hears Siyeon wince.  
She smiles knowingly. She knows how it is to want to be perfect, to the point of working too hard.

"Maybe you should call it a day. Think you could manage walking with me?"  
Minji knows that what she needs is a pep talk right now, and in response, Siyeon meets her eyes, nods and picks up her bag.

About half an hour later (and two iced coffees) Minji has learned all about Siyeon and they are moving through a park, passing a quiet fountain. Minji reached out towards the water, letting it fall through her fingertips. Siyeon broke the silence, as she realised: "Wait you're a trainee too?" Minji is such a natural leader and yet here she is, still in the company. With this, Siyeon felt almost determined to become more like her: confident and knowing what she wanted.

Minji replied, "Some things just feel right. It's like fate. I felt like I would meet a new friend today and here you are."  
She took Siyeon's hand and squeezed it. "We all have more time than we think. I'm here if you need anyone, and I'm guessing you have other friends to reach out to, too."  
Siyeon smiled at the thought of Handong.

They keep walking, hand in hand, through the streets. When the sun began to set, they decided to part ways.  
"Message me, okay? If there's anything you need, then me or one of my friends at the company can help!"  
Minji held out Siyeon's phone for her to take it back, after putting in her number. Unexpectedly, Siyeon grabs her wrist. "I need a photo for your contact! Let's take one together!"  
Minji smiles at the younger girl, before wrapping her arm around her and taking a few photos.

-  
At home, Minji sat on her phone, messaging a group chat.  
'Guys I met someone new today!'  
Messages in response came flooding back.  
'Who?'  
'What do they look like?'

She smiled, sending the photo of her and Siyeon hugging close.  
A message in all capitals yells: 'THAT'S HER!!!' -Bora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's right! more member's paths are crossing! next chapter teaser is that its handong's storyline ;)  
> comments are always appreciated, they keep me motivated ahaha + keep watching the tags because I update them a lot!  
> -rosie  
> edited// july 12th


	4. we've come so far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Handong has a late night conversation with a close friend.

"Do you remember our first phone call though?"  
The sound of her voice called through the room. Handong reached forward to turn down the volume, as she knew her friend raises her voice as she gets more excited.  
She smiles at her friend's face through the screen. The other girl's fringe fell across her face and she returns the smile. Handong's heart soared.  
"Obviously I remember! I was so nervous; I was scared to mess up..."  
She laughs at her, as she says: "Yeah, your voice was so quiet and adorable!"

The two are talking through a video call, with Handong being awake fairly late at night. It had been a while since they had last spoken, so she sat by the window, resting with her head tipped against the glass. Bright moonlight spilled over her face, highlighting small parts of her cheeks and making her eyes sparkle.  
"I'm so glad we met though. I really needed to pass my Chinese exam!"  
Handong fakes being mad, shaking the screen as the other girl laughs and pretends to fall over. She can't help laughing back, as she says: "I hate you. Haven't you learnt anything?"  
"Hah, you clearly love me."  
If only you knew.

Handong teases her, humming as the other girl moves a pencil slowly, backwards and forwards across the page.  
She almost wants to stay like this forever, but as time passes and their conversation lasts longer and longer, she begins feeling sleepy. The once cold glass now felt comforting and warm and the wind pattering the rain against it created a relaxing rhythm.

In a small sigh of happiness, she closed her eyes. The other girl noticed and looked up from her work. Softly, she whispered, "Dong-Dong, I told you not to overwork yourself."  
The girl debated in her head whether she should end the call, but she decided against it, listening to Handong's steady breathing in and out and watching as her face lit up with a smile while drifting off to sleep. 

-

Yoohyeon had seemed to have taken on too much again. If she didn't pass the test, she may have had to drop the subject. Her parents said she should get a tutor, but none of her friends knew the language or anything about it. She seemed to learn well on her own most of the time, but now, maybe she needed to admit to herself that she needed help. 

That's when she found Handong. A girl who wasn't even a year older than her, who needed to study Korean. She sent a message, in hope that they could help each other out and Handong replied shortly later saying that she would love to try learning with each other. From that point they talked almost every day. For five years and counting.

As the two learned more about each other, Yoohyeon passed all the tests she needed to, but they seemed to become closer. They would share all of their problems and feel a wave of comfort after. However, they had both felt the recent shift in their conversations.  
Innocent flirting would trickle into their words and Handong found that she longed for more. But, not only the distance between them was complicated, but while Yoohyeon was focusing on school, Handong was focused on auditioning.  
The world seems like it's against them. They are forced to call late at night to keep in touch. Maybe if they stayed like this, the feelings would pass and they could go back to just friends like before. Besides, it's probably the best they can do currently.

For now, Yoohyeon doesn't want anything to change, as she watches the older girl peacefully, while she sleeps. After a short while, Yoohyeon whispers: "Goodnight Dongie."  
She ends the call and a quiet beep makes Handong stir, but she's too calm to move. Sure, she'll wake up tomorrow with a stiff neck, but for now she's content and happy with everything that she has.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! i hope you have been enjoying everything so far! as someone who hasn't done much writing since about 2017, i'd hope that my writing has improved (a LOT). my writing style is nowhere near as good as i'd like it to be, but i think it's important to learn and improve with each time i get inspired :)  
> constructive criticism and positive comments always welcomed,  
> to my fellow writers, keep going!  
> -rosie


	5. we've needed to meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Handong finds herself at the start of a dilemma and phone calls seem to be at the centre of everything.

"Hey, you need help?"  
She spoke up, seeing a girl making a very frustrated phone call. She had shoulder-length brown hair and carried a dark bag over her arm.

"Can't you possibly come and find me or something?" The girl continued talking, as Yubin approached her and walked around in front of her.  
"I have no idea where to go.."  
Yubin shyly waves, getting her attention. "I didn't mean to listen in, but can I help?"  
Her face lights up as she says: "I'll speak soon!" and ends the call to someone yelling. "Sorry, about that."  
"Are you here for auditions? I seem to meet everyone who gets lost here recently." Yubin reflects the smile off the other girl's face.  
She offers her hand, for some reason, with a "Hi, I'm Yubin!"  
"Hello, I'm Handong!" She takes her hand and holds it before shaking it. Their hands linger once again and Yubin releases her fingers, noticing how pretty they are. She is definitely flustered, and Handong clearly knows it.  
She clears her throat, trying to relax somehow, and says: "This way!"  
Handong follows.

"I just hope I'll get accepted this time.. it's been a while since an audition." She admits.  
Yubin turns around, thinking that if her talents were as good as her looks then she should have no problem getting in.  
The other girl laughs at how Yubin hasn't said anything, as she just looks at her. Yubin snaps out of it and replies, "I'm sure you'll do amazingly, good luck!"  
She points in the direction of the signpost, showing who needs to go where.  
"Thank you, I don't think I would've managed without you!" She waves, before heading off to read.  
Yubin smiles, watching as Handong skips away. She really hopes that they'll meet again soon.

-

"I won't be able to sleep tonight."  
"What makes you so sure about that, Dongie?"

They're back together, through the screen as usual, but all the stress of today wears off and Handong sits on a sofa, wrapped up in a blanket, as Yoohyeon has told her to do.  
"I'm scared; I really want to do well and if I'm with Siyeon then everything might work out even better."  
"Ah, so Siyeon is in the same place?" Yoohyeon was maybe a little bit jealous at this, but she needs to focus on comforting her.  
"Yeah, but I think we might be split off. Although, I did meet someone else and she helped me a lot and she was nice."  
Yoohyeon has an overflowing feeling of sadness. She just wants to hug her and tell her that everything will be okay and that she can help too, but there's a screen, and other people, apparently helping her. That's what matters more, right?

"I seem to miss you more nowadays. It's weird I just... I'm not sure, it's stupid, I know."  
Handong seems to sit up a little more, as she says: "Nothing you say is ever stupid, please don't think like that, you're the smartest and one of the kindest people I know."

Yoohyeon stares through the camera lens. "You always know how to flatter me."  
Handong laughs and blushes, "Of course. But, I really miss you too, even if we've never met in person. What if we change that?"  
Almost choking on her drink, Yoohyeon gasps. "Do you want to?"  
"Of course I do."

They start discussing things and the sun sets without them realising. It's proving hard for them to find time when both are free. Handong works in a bookshop for most weekdays and if she passes the audition, then that's even less free time on top of that. Yoohyeon seems to do odd jobs here and there, but she does have one constant thing and that is busking on the streets with her guitar, but she doesn't want to tell her that. No reason in particular, more just keeping work and friends happily separate. 

Last week though, one person had wandered over to her with an opportunity as she was packing up.

-

The clouds wrapped the tall buildings around Yoohyeon in a blanket of shade. She wished that she had brought a coat, but it was fine. As she wasn't that far from home, she decided to just pack up and leave. It was only an hour before she would usually leave, and she had made about a week's shopping money so that was good too. Best to focus on the positives, right?

Zipping up her guitar case, she turned around to find a short person watching her. They were dressed in stylish clothes and ones that contrasted Yoohyeon's bright pastel colours perfectly.

"Oh, hello! Sorry, I've decided to finish for today."  
"That's okay. I just came across you earlier and wanted to catch you when you didn't have a full audience."  
"Thank you for waiting, that means a lot." She didn't know where this conversation was going and they seemed to have an aura of friendliness that made her feel as if she should echo confidence back.

"I wanted to tell you that you have a great voice. It's really beautiful and you're pretty and you play guitar too! It's amazing." The person said, seemingly in awe.  
With the sudden compliments, Yoohyeon blushed.

"Anyway, I'm one of the trainees at this company and if you want an opportunity to showcase talents and things like that, if you're up to it, I mean, they're holding open auditions and I think you'd ace it."  
She took the piece of paper from their hands and held it, eyes brimming with determination.  
"Thank you, thank you so much."  
"It's okay, I'd love to meet you again. There's an extra number on there, if you need to call anyone." They looked at their watch and looked up at Yoohyeon, slightly panicked. "I think time has run away with me, but I hope we can speak soon? Anyway, goodbye."

Yoohyeon watches as they almost run, in the direction of the train station. In disbelief, she looks at the piece of paper in her hands. It's an entertainment company looking to debut another girl group and there's information plastered all over it. She flips it over and writing in thick ink stands out.  
'Call me :)', accompanied by a phone number.  
"Unbelievable…", she says, but maybe they will be the exception to her work-friend-separate rule.

"Earth to Yooh! Are you too tired? You can sleep now it's okay, I promise."  
Yoohyeon curses quietly; Handong hears and laughs. "I'm so sorry. Slap me awake or something."  
"If you think that I'm going to travel across the country to hit you, then you're right, but we have to figure out a time." She continues, "We can stop for tonight. We have all the time in the world and each other on the phone so it's all going to work out." While in a tired daze, Yoohyeon smiles.  
"That's it Yoohyeon, you're going to sleep, whether you like it or not."  
Yoohyeon grabs at her phone, with her eyes shut. "Fall asleep with me."  
Handong smiles. Then there's shuffling from both ends of the call of changing clothes and then getting into bed, a few minutes after.  
"I love you, night night.."  
"Love you too, Yooh."  


No more than an hour later, they're completely asleep, with neither ending the call and both gently murmuring and hugging onto the bed covers. Handong has, once again, forgotten to close the curtains, so light scatters in from a full moon. Just having each other there makes them happy, but things always seem to get in the way of them being closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm currently working on my motivation so yay, I hope that will somehow show in my future writing, because i need to improve a lot still :)  
> have a great day!! and stretch if you haven't done so in a while!  
> (one shots are definitely more my thing help hahah)  
> (i'll get this finished though, i promise)


	6. i'll be looking forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> siyeon and bora start something new//  
> this is set on the same day as the previous chapter!

Today seemed to be looking up.  
Bora had already finished tutoring her class and now she could take a break. She'd feel as if her job was complete if she could get one of the bored teens in her class to love dancing. Sighing, she sat down onto a plastic chair that propped open the door. Everything that any of the "more experienced" trainees did, made the company very grateful. Who knows? It could also get her closer to being a professional.

Experiencing new things was helpful though. She knew Minji and Yubin agreed and they've been in the industry the longest. Walking across the hallway, she stretched out her legs and looked through slightly blurry glass. Minji's smiling face was there, guiding the same group from about a week ago in the practice room. Bora smiles at the memory of her dancing. Not only that, but the memory of Siyeon. There has to be fate involved, somehow. Her heart seemed to cry out everytime their eyes met. She had never wanted someone back in her arms so badly. She could almost feel the imprint of Siyeon's body in her arms, and it was unlike her to have someone in her mind this much, let alone with a girl as well.

Siyeon's dazed smile definitely confirmed how much she'd fallen already; Bora had an urge to just kiss it off her face.

Speaking of the devil, she noticed the familiar blue hair towards Minji's left. Of course. Siyeon was in the class she had danced in. She saw her last week, but couldn't talk properly because Yubin had asked her to help out with something. Her hands grasped onto the cold metal handle and she opened the door. 

Nobody seemed to notice her, as they were all stretching and talking to each other, but she found Siyeon once again and approached her.

"Siyeon?" She paused as the girl loses her grip on the wall and almost falls. She takes a step back, preparing herself to catch her. "Can we talk somewhere else, for a moment?"  
After both feet were safely on the floor, she nodded in reply, following the shorter girl out of the practice room. 

Siyeon had definitely stretched in the previous night and tried to go through the dance in her head, but there was just that one part she just kept missing, that's all. Her trousers crumpled distractingly as the material moved against her legs. At this point, Siyeon could have easily walked into Bora, if she wasn't looking where she was going. Which she wasn't.  
"Oh, I'm sorry." she nervously laughed as she looked up to see Bora smiling at her in disbelief.  
"Maybe we should get you into balance classes instead of the idol route.." she joked, patting Siyeon's arm.

Bora opened the door, revealing a smaller space, and amps placed against the wall. Two stacks of chairs loomed in the corner and a whiteboard with messages on was central on the yellow wall.

"I heard you were having a hard time with something?" Siyeon nodded and Bora continued. "Before they went onto the next part, I thought that we could help each other."  
"Each other?" She repeated. It wasn't like she was the most focused person, but Bora definitely seemed to be fine with the dance and she hasn't picked up anything that was wrong.  
"Sing for me, Si." Bora handed her a hairbrush, "If you want, that is, there's your microphone."

Siyeon avoided catching her eyes, while she looked through songs to sing on her phone. She felt confident in her voice, so she hoped she wouldn't be too scared while singing in front of someone she found ridiculously pretty.  
Anyway, Eraser's good. She'd only learnt the first half too, so it meant that she wouldn't have to go through a whole song. Perfect. Taking Bora's "microphone", she knew that she was here to perform. The music played as she regulated her breathing in time for the verse to start.

While Siyeon, who was comfortable, kept singing, Bora was now the one who probably hadn't exhaled in a good half of a minute. Her voice was unique, powerful and pretty much flawless. This was why she was chosen by the company, clearly. The off-balance girl from before was now this vocal goddess and Bora felt her heart leap and her throat block. Siyeon had her eyes closed, as she let the power radiating from her voice and concentrated on her performance. 

Bora watched her silently as the song slowed and the other girl opened her eyes, admitting that that was where she'd learnt up to. Silence now filled the room, after Taeyeon sang the last "eraser" out of the phone.

"I don't know what I've just witnessed." Bora finally spoke.  
"That bad?" she replied, almost wishing that she hadn't turned up. It's Bora's loss if it was bad, because she thought it went okay.  
Bora stood up, "Are you insane? No, that was heavenly, amazing... how? I don't know."  
Siyeon looked into her eyes, hopeful and excited, "You really think?"  
"Don't ever doubt yourself." She held onto the taller girl, her fingers rubbing gently at her arms.

They held eye contact, before they realised how close they were to each other. Bora prayed that Siyeon couldn't feel her heart rate. She let go, her fingers brushing down Siyeon's arm and she turned away. 

"Now, to fully clarify what I called you here for."  
Siyeon shook herself lightly, trying to wake herself up after her fast change of tone.  
"I know the dance well, you don't; you know how to sing, but that's not my strong point... get what I'm saying?"  
Siyeon thinks. It would probably help to go over with someone else rather than suffer with this on her own. As well as that, it meant she wouldn't feel like she owed anyone for help, as the repayment was teaching Bora, and spending more time with her, so it was a win-win, ignoring how her free time was going to suffer greatly.

A phone begun ringing. Bora notes that it is a chill, guitar track. She watched as Siyeon picked it up. It was clearly unexpected.  
"Hello? Dongie?"  
There's mumbling from the other side.  
"Oh, you're here! That's great I'm so happy you made-"  
Siyeon's face dropped, before smiling. "You don't know where to go? I had the same problem, it's so annoying."  
She seemed to press the phone more into her face, as if she can't hear something, and then she started yelling.  
"You, wait- Handong! Hello?"  
Siyeon looked at the phone screen and showed Bora. It was black, then showed her home screen. Bora smiled as she looked at the picture of the Wonder Girls, but yeah, she was hung up on.

"My friend is auditioning today. She sounds really nervous, but I think someone was starting to help her."  
Bora smiled, "I'm sure she'll be fine, don't worry. My little sister is auditioning as well at some point in the week."  
"Not another Bora..." she joked, catching the playful glint in Bora's eye, before changing the subject. "I didn't know the auditions lasted for days, actually."  
"I haven't seen them have one as long as this, but they seem to be picking out the right people."  
They smiled at each other, before beginning to discuss details once again.

Eventually, they came to an agreement. They could have a weekend of rest and then start on Monday. Bora would need to check with Minji, for if Siyeon could skip her lesson in order for her to catch up. In excitement, Bora jumped up and down. This made Siyeon exclaim, "How can someone so small have so much energy?"  
Bora spluttered back, "That's it. All our plans are cancelled", before running towards her.  
"See you on Monday, 12pm!" And with that, Siyeon ran out of the door, looking back to hear Bora laughing from the doorway.

When Siyeon got home, she felt strangely comforted. She felt genuinely happy and excited for this new chapter in her life. She sat in her chair, and put in her headphones, propping up her legs on the table. She smiled to herself, as maybe things were looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so we finally have the plot going somewhere! i've been back through and edited a lot of the other chapters, and hopefully the spacing between paragraphs should be so much clearer. any feedback is welcome in the comments! please tell me how im doing haha  
> ++is the amount of dialogue okay lmao? i feel as if ive written so much in this compared to any of my one shots. id like to think that the quality of writing in those is better too, but you can check that out for yourself :]  
> -rosie  
> edited//27th july


	7. we've got to wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> handong meets a familiar face and continues with her routine of late night phone calls.

"Hello? Miss?"  
Handong was startled by the sudden voice calling to her. To her horror, she remembered that she was actually at work, so she hurriedly straightened out her clothes and stood up, trying to cover the fact that she was leant over the counter, daydreaming.  
"Thank you for waiting, what can I help you with, sir?"  
An old man, wearing a long, cloak-like cape dropped an unsteady stack of books in front of her. Judging by what he wants to purchase, he really likes horror stories.

Dong actually likes her job. It's peaceful and the only people that come into the corner-shop are enthusiastic people, who will happily talk about books, or the occasional teenagers, taking a few photos and looking around, probably after getting freedom for the first time. Most of the customers enjoy her company and her job gets her enough money to get by, so there wasn't much to complain about- apart from the lack of cats. So, in small spaces where books don't occupy the wall, drawn pictures of cats are now scattered around. She's always loved them, ever since she was a child. It's not as if she can keep an actual cat there, but she wanted to make it more homely. Plus, she spends a lot of her time there, while her boss had to take a break and left the books in Handong's hands. At least her being trusted with the shop shows that she's trustworthy...

She dropped the bags into the man's bag after taking the money and said goodbye. The bell above the door chimed and he's gone. Everything turned quiet once again, so she went to grab the book from the storeroom that she had started earlier. When she heard the bell from the door, her ears almost pricked up, while she remained fully focused on the book. Slowly, she wandered in, being careful not to bump into walls or tables as she continued to read. Assuming that they went into one of the other rooms, she sank into a chair. Apart from looking up every now and again, to check on the time or turning a page, she remained still.  
After fifteen minutes, she decided to see if there are any customers actually in the building.

As she walked around, she heard the quiet rustling of pages. Found them. She poked her head around the corner, before quickly shrinking back. That's a face she recognised. Pleased at getting to meet them again, she fluffed her hair a little and swung around the corner, suddenly breaking the silence.  
"You know, you're going to have to buy the book if you want to read all of it."  
The girl, who's sat on a grey beanbag against the window, almost drops the book in shock.  
Dong laughs, "Hello Yubin, nice to see you again."  
Yubin forms this sort of strange smile on her face, almost in disbelief and then realisation.  
"I knew I'd seen you somewhere else before."  
Even through the smile, Handong could tell that her face wasn't the friendly, joyous one from when they first met. It was early morning, but she also looked wide awake. And relatively blank.

"Books are an escape place. They can really help people run away when they need it."  
"I think you've phrased that better than I could ever try to." Yubin replied, eyes slightly softening from the almost emotionless look from before.  
Handong sits next to her, as she softly placed a hand on her leg that she didn't seem to shake off or shy away from. If anything, Yubin seemed more than fine with the touch.  
"If you need to rant or talk to someone, I'm here. We're practically strangers still, so I'll take anything."

Observing how Handong looked at her made Yubin unsure of what to say. She really would have told Handong everything, but things were going to need to get easier first.  
"It's okay for now, I'm sorting it out with someone."  
"Is it a relationship problem or something?" Handong blurted out, before realising what she just asked.

It really was an 'out of the blue' question, but Yubin was more focused on the idea of dating Bora. Yeah, that's not the best idea: she would've been deafened by now, if that was the case. She smiles at the thought of her loud best friend.  
"No, we're just stressed about something coming up at the place we train in. We're more like sisters, actually." "Oh, good luck then. It's good that you have someone there to help."

Dong seemed to relax her shoulders and arch her neck over the book, to check what the younger girl was reading. It was faded with yellow-turning pages and the spine looked as if it would fall apart at any moment.  
"What made you choose this?"  
Yubin's eyes left the book to meet her eyes. "When a book has history behind it, you either learn about a different era, or it means that so many other people have loved the same story."

The subject change was welcomed by both of them, but Yubin wasn't sure if she was implying anything by asking her if she was dating, or if she was just friendly and trying to help her out.

While they happily spoke about books, Handong just hoped that she hadn't made things too awkward. Was it her actual thinking or just unstoppable curiosity out of the back of her mind? Whatever it was, only time would tell if she'd be thankful for the event.  
She was comfortable with their conversation, so they stayed with Handong resting on the floor and Yubin squished down on a bean bag. 

Once again, the bell chimed on the door and Handong hesitantly got up and held out a hand towards Yubin.  
The girl grabbed firmly onto her hand and pulled herself up.  
"You could've just handed me the stack of books, but that works too."  
Yubin laughed, but also nervously scratched her head.

Once they're back in the front room, Yubin gently placed a couple of books on the counter, sliding them towards the till. She waited as Handong shifted through the gap between the wood and the wall and sorted out how much Yubin owed.

While the other girl looked at the various cat photos scattered around, Handong grabbed one of the free bookmarks and wrote on it, before it got slotted in between the books. Then, Yubin paid, smiling as Handong handed over the books.  
When she reached the door, she paused. "Until we meet again, I guess?"  
"You can always find another way to contact me, rather than waiting." Dong winks, watching as the now puzzled girl exits.

"Let's hope she uses and reads the bookmark then." She murmured to herself, before waiting for the other customer to approach the counter.

"Good morning, did you find anything good?"  
"It's well into a 'Good afternoon' now, but I get your sleepiness."  
The younger girl smiled at her, while making a light-hearted comment on Dong's apparently tired eyes. She's a regular, and one that Handong enjoys speaking to. 

While she spun around to check the clock on the wall behind her, there's a thud on the counter and an enthusiastic question of: "What do you think I should read first??"

-

"Busy day, Dong-dong?"  
Handong sighed. She was so comforted from just hearing her voice. Something about her tone just always makes her feel at peace and safe and that she is able to settle down.  
"Yes, I'm sorry for us always having to call at night..."  
"At least I get to hear your cute sleepy voice."  
"Stop it..." Dong's voice trailed off and she slid further under the soft sheets of her bed.

Yoohyeon's face creases with a smile at the sight of only her eyes being visible over a barrier of blankets, in the badly-lit room.  
"I want to hug you so much."  
After knowing her for years, Yoohyeon just knew that the other girl was pouting through the silence.  
"One day," she added, "We'll find each other and we can hug forever."  
"Forever?"  
"As long as you would like, Dongie."  
"That's a nice thought."

Yoohyeon just felt sad now. If she was just be able to get a stable job or even just have everything available to just go and see her, she'd drop everything in order to do so.

Was it only friendship at this point? When you long to spend your life with this one person?  
It's hard to figure out the answer to questions like this, even if Handong was probably the prettiest person she knew, for both looks and personality. For her, problems start with the fact that she finds others attractive too, something that she feels guilty with.  
The guy who works in that cafe was cute when he almost dropped her coffee. The girl who spoke to her in the busking was cute too, even though their meeting was short. However, she did end up getting her number from that leaflet and she had been meaning to message her.

And then Handong. Friends since they were in their separate high schools and now acting like old lovers. Maybe there was something there. Some things aren't meant to happen fast.

"Let's just wait and see what we can do."  
"Yeah, let's do that."

Waiting was proving to be hard though. It doesn't care how desperately people are to get their desires and their longings.  
Waiting is important, but fate plays a part in the waiting time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've returned after my two week inspiration block :D i hope you found the update good as we see their stories linking more and more together.  
> +i changed the awful use of tenses in chapter 6 im sorry if that annoyed anyone while reading it before, but it should be better now !!


	8. i'll want you again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Siyeon's first one-on-one dance practice.

The week had only just begun, and yet here Bora was being teased by her friend at 8am.

"It's not what you're thinking, we're only helping each other out."  
"Helping each other out, hm? In a room away from everyone else?" 

Minji was just being annoying and she knew it. The beaming smile that spread across her face said it all.  
"I have no idea what you've been doing there and I don't think I want to know."  
Minji laughed. "You already know that I work hard trying to organise things without having to worry about relationships."  
"True. But seriously, is it okay?"  
Nodding in response, she added: "You have a week. Use it wisely or this won't happen again."  
Bora yelled a series of "Thank you"s, hugging Minji and kissing her on the cheek.

She turned, watching as the shorter girl practically ran away while she started aggressively tapping on her phone.  
"Go get your girl!" Minji yelled, winking as a flustered Bora flips her off.  
It's not actually a big deal, it's common knowledge between friends that Bora loves the attention.

-

"It's so good that Minji let us do this."

A few hours later, they were back together and in a practice room. Patchy light was spilling from the windows and the floor felt cold underneath her fingertips. Siyeon (looking cute as always, Bora noticed) hovered above her in an oversized hoodie. Even from only seeing each other a handful of times, Bora feels desperate for them to work together well.  
Maybe she did secretly love how the flirting trickled into their conversations. Bora focused on her phone, selecting some background music, before she got up to meet Siyeon's eyes. The other girl looked away at the sudden interaction, smiling when Bora intertwined their fingers.

"Are you ready to start then?"  
Siyeon hummed in approval and stretched out her arms.

They started with warm-ups; Siyeon followed her moves from behind.

Every now and again, Bora would break the comfortable silence between them, telling Siyeon how to improve.  
"The best starting point is with warming up, so stretch your leg out a little more."  
Siyeon did as she said, shuffling into a better position.  
Bora fully stood up, walking over to Siyeon and placing her hand on her thigh.  
"Tell me if anything hurts. I don't want anything going wrong this early into your lesson."  
Siyeon feels her knee pushed back and her foot shifting forward.

"Have you taught people before?"  
"Children mainly, so I suppose we'll see how similar you are to them. You both seem playful, that's one thing."

Bora smiled, before turning away to pull the mats back into the storage cupboard.

Siyeon took this as an opportunity to breathe. When she looked up, she saw herself in the mirror: red-faced and messy hair. With her hand scraping through faded blue hair, she listens as Bora starts the song. She recognises it. It's the one that she's practiced until her muscles ached, late at night. It's the one that Minji originally wanted Bora to help her with, but Siyeon has tried so hard to get better, just to impress her.

Bora started counting, numbers intertwining with the rhythm, and Siyeon almost twisted her ankle with the first step.

Watching from behind, Bora watched the younger girl from the mirror. Her concentration levels showed on her face, in the way that, with certain steps, her nose would scrunch up.  
Based on the first half though, Siyeon was doing way better than Minji has said. Her determination was showing through easily and it was clear she was working hard.

With each pause done by Bora to go back through a dance step, Siyeon picked it up faster and faster.  
"You'll be perfect in no time.." Bora said, smiling as the younger girl finished the whole routine.  
Siyeon bowed, laughing as she went to grab water.

Bora's phone kept playing music, the beat slightly calmer, but one that she had choreographed for, a while back. She rose out of her seat, her body freezing when she got into position. 

The verse started. Her arms gracefully reached upwards, before falling. The music picked up, Bora matching this by spinning and kicking a leg and Siyeon felt her heartbeat match.  
As her hypnotising moves paused as the second verse played, Bora met Siyeon's confused eyes.

"It's a dance made for two."  
Siyeon gives her a knowing but shy look, as she makes her way to Bora's left.

Bora's laughter fills the air and tickles Siyeon's own cheeks when she begins doing the dance they've been doing together all afternoon, but slowed down. 

"I'll help with the chorus, if you want to be taught?"  
Siyeon grins. "Sure."

The speed of the song gets reduced. It sounds slow, eerie and robot-like, and yet Bora walks at full speed towards her.

Siyeon's wrist is grabbed by a warm hand and her face is met closely with a... nervous Bora?  
Despite her wide eyes and slightly red cheeks, she explains the chorus to Siyeon, telling her when to point her hand and where to move to.

Once the chorus starts up again, it's full speed and Bora watches with a smile as her movements are properly mirrored. She almost cries with happiness for seeing her duet more complete.

Siyeon, of course, gets some little things wrong, but Bora stares at her as if she was a magical fairy or something - new, exciting, and maybe even too good to be true.

They join together at the end, Bora holding Siyeon's wrist once again but this time, her mind chants Siyeon's name.

The younger girl was way too close, overwhelming Bora and yet somewhere, she felt a pull drawing her closer to Siyeon.

The music stops and Bora's hand remains on Siyeon. Bora avoids eye-contact and her arm flinches away. She steps back.

Siyeon's smile fades, her cheeks ache from the afternoon of constant grinning and laughing and now she paid the price.

Bora looks around the room, as if she were trying to find something. Her eyes land on the clock. "Oh, the time."  
"We can continue this another time, if you want."  
"Keep practicing, keep stretching," Bora said, as she gathered her coat and swung open the door, "See you tomorrow, Minji will tell you where. Goodbye."

With that, the door closed and Bora could be seen through the steamed up door glass as a foggy silhouette, struggling to get her coat over her arms.  
Siyeon was left alone in the room and she sank down onto the chair; the wood was hard and cold against the band of skin uncovered around her waist. Resting her head in her hands, she sighed. Something didn't add up.

When Siyeon left the room, it was like the other girl was just a faint memory. Siyeon was left feeling rejected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave feedback in comments, or my [tellonym](https://tellonym.me/rivalflower)!
> 
> goodness me, you probably weren't expecting this, huh?
> 
> anyway hi it's me your good friend and suayeon content provider rosie! im back from a lil break after i got major writers block after writing my last one-shot (which was very fun and one of my favourite things i've written yet, so if you're interested then go check it out :D )  
> i've got a lot more planned out now and will try to finish this to start writing other things soon too!! yay!! wish me luck friends :D
> 
> -rosie
> 
> !!!  
> also a reminder: do not call people or idols gay if you are straight. do not make jokes about being lgbt if you are a cishet. stop it, before you hurt others.  
> !!!


	9. i'll start again new

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally the day of Handong's results and she meets new faces, and even someone familiar.

'We're having a small meet-up at this café! It's just for people to get to know each other and for people like Bora's sister to not be too alone while they get their results!'

Everyone got the message, but it's Handong who's the one who slept in and had to run to the place, following Google Maps as if treasure lurked at the destination.

When she loudly burst through the door, it was probably for the best that the only table occupied was the one with her friends sat there.  
"Dongie! You made it!"

She looked at the people before her. First, patting the cushioned red seat next to her was Siyeon, wearing all dark colours as usual. Her grey-blue hair was scraped back into a clip at the back of her head.  
Handong sat down, locking eyes with a blonde girl opposite.  
"Dahyun?" She says, eyes wide open.  
"Dong?" The other girl replies, clearly recognising her too.  
"It's lovely to see you in a place that's not my bookshop."  
They smile and instantly start talking again.  
"Ah, I haven't introduced you two. This is Gahyeonie!"  
"Baby, stop it." The other girl whines, resting her head on Dahyun's shoulder before realising she's should talk.  
She corrects her girlfriend's introduction: "Hello! I'm Gahyeon! We're getting our audition results today!"

Even from their short conversation, Handong could feel the energy bouncing off of Gahyeon. The younger girl - she found out her age from their result sessions being in different places - had long brown hair. When she wasn't clinging onto Dahyun like her life depended on it, she also grabbed onto another girl next to her.  
"Hey! Stop it or I'll tell Mum you ruined my t-shirt."  
"You wouldn't dare."  
"You know I would."

Gahyeon leans over, "That's my sister, Bora. Ignore her- she's grumpy and annoying."  
"Watch how loud you whisper, Lee Gahyeon."

Bora seemed to be warm, even through the arguing with Gahyeon not ten minutes into her arrival. Her laugh shattered any tension in the air, but a cloud seemed to surround Siyeon as if there were a barrier between her and Bora.

Ah, there's two more faces she recognised: Minji and Yubin. With Minji being the physical embodiment of the sun, it was hard to miss her. Yubin wandered over to Siyeon, passing Handong a quick smile, but focusing on helping Minji hand out drinks.

Siyeon looks up, "Dongie? I forgot to call you yesterday, I'm sorry."  
"That's okay, how are you doing?"  
"Fine," she pauses, "A little confused but it's okay."  
Handong passes her a reassuring smile.

Everything was busy around her, and she felt her phone buzz, just as Minji held out some cake to her.  
"Thank you," she says, turning off her alarm, "but I'd better get going. The audition results are announced in 15 minutes."

Siyeon speaks up. "Dongie? Can I go with you?"  
She nods, holding out a hand for Siyeon to grab onto.

They wave to the chaos of the others and leave.

"So, what have you been up to?"  
"Auditioning was my main focus this week, although, I think this is the quietest the shop has been in a while. Apart from Dahyun, Yubin and the four other regulars, I don't see anyone else."  
"How's Yoohyeon?"  
Oh. Of course, Handong completely forgot to update her friend on everything going on. They'd have to call later.  
"She seems fine. But she's as far away as ever."  
Siyeon lightly squeezes her cheek.  
"It's okay you'll see her one day, right?"  
Handong nods.

"What have you been doing? It seems as if this is the only free time in a while you've had."  
"I've been taking extra lessons with Bora."  
Handong remembers from earlier that she's Gahyeon's sister.  
Siyeon's voice trails off, before telling her about how Bora left her so suddenly.

"No reason?"  
"I mean, we got kinda close but it was just dancing. It was her choreography!"  
Handong hums.  
"You're really pretty Siyeon."  
The girl looks at her, baffled.  
"What?"  
Handong laughs, "I'm not saying it like that, idiot. I mean that if a pretty girl like you got that close to me, God, I would have panicked too."  
"There's no way that's the reason."  
"And there's only one way to find out."  
Siyeon laughs, blushing at her friend, "There's also only one way to find out your results so go! You don't want to miss it."  
Handong blows a kiss to her friend before taking a deep breath and opening the door.

-

"Siyeon!"  
"Well?"  
"I did it!"

The two hug as Dong tells her all about the courses they're putting her in.

No less than 10 minutes later, Minji, Yubin and Bora walk around the corner.  
"The kids should be out any minute now."  
Bora switches her weight onto each foot, clearly nervous.  
"Gahyeon's going to do fine, she's a talented girl." Minji reassures her.  
"It's not that and you know i-"  
Bora gets cut off by Minji leaving her to run over to the bench.  
"Handong! Good news?"  
She smiles, nodding. "I start next week."  
Minji wraps her arms around her.

"Welcome." Yubin grins. "It's going to be nice having you around."  
"Thank you." Dong replies.  
She really does mean it, as well.

"Bora!"  
"How did it go?"  
"We did it! We did it!" Gahyeon and Dahyun jump around before hugging the older girl.  
"Did you congratulate the others?"  
"You're worse than Mum!" She teased, "Of course I did."  
Siyeon wandered over to them, "Others got through?"

"Just one. She was tall and had a fringe but I think she would've left by now."

Handong, who had also walked over to join the younger ones' celebration, peeked her head through the door.  
The door on the opposite side of the hall closed as she watched - it was just as Gahyeon had said.

"Don't stay here for too long and waste your day!"  
Handong was drawn out of the room by Minji's voice. "It's a good idea to rest or spend time with people, but I need to go home for the day."

-

The group said their goodbyes and last congratulations and split off into groups, leaving Handong, Siyeon and Bora.

"Siyeon? Should we leave?"  
Siyeon looked towards the bottom of the steps, where Bora was slowly making her way home. She decides.

"I'll come to your house later. I can bring food if you want?"  
"You know I'll never say no to that!" Dong laughs.  
"Okay! I'll see you then!"

Now, it's just Siyeon and Bora. Handong has already crossed the road and was making her way down the street.

"Bora!"  
The older girl spins around, spotting Siyeon as she almost tumbles down the stairs.

"Nice to see you again."  
"I suppose," Siyeon hesitates, "as long as you don't feel uncomfortable around me."  
Bora stiffens. "Why would you think that?"  
"I mean, you practically ran away from me, a few days ago."  
Shaking her head, Bora sighs. "It's not that at all. It's not your fault. It's me."

The two are left in silence as they walk.

Siyeon breaks the tense silence.  
"You don't have to tell me anything now, but you need to not run away without telling me why. I was a little upset, Bora."  
The other girl looks down, as if she were ashamed of what she'd done. Siyeon takes this as an opportunity. She holds onto Bora's hand and they stop.  
"Do you hear me? I really care about you, even if you're the one who thinks she should look after me, after you meet me twice."  
Bora snorts quietly, a contrast to her loud laughter from Minji's cafe.  
"Thank you."

With this, Siyeon places her free hand on Bora's shoulder and leans down, pressing her lips to Bora's cheek and then wiping at the lipstick stain left there.

She steps back and walks away, shouting back at Bora to message her.

Bora is stood there frozen. She stands and cups her cheek, the skin buzzing after Siyeon's kiss.

_This _wasn't meant to happen.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed reading! comments and kudos are always appreciated, but here's my [tellonym](https://tellonym.me/rivalflower) if you prefer to say things anonymously :D
> 
> aaa it's been a while, but i finally got around to editing this! i'd love to finish this in the start of the new year :) wish me luck!  
> -rosie :D


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